to be outflanked. He had already set his columns in motion, and before Generals Hancock, Warren, and Sedgwick had completed their dispositions, the enemy was found to be approaching in great force. The corps of General Ewell was moving along the turnpike from Old Verdiersville, and that of General A. P. Hill along the same plank road on which General Warren was advancing. The Fifth New York Cavalry, skirmishing on the plank road in the advance, was soon driven back with considerable loss. The Federal line was to have extended about five miles in a direction approaching to northwest and southeast, the corps of General Warren in the centre on the plank road east of Parker's Store, that of General Sedgwick on his right, General Hancock's on the left. About noon General Griffin was ordered to push his division out on the left and right of the road to feel the enemy. Within a mile he came in contact with a part of Ewell's force well posted on a wooded hillside, and a sharp engagement ensued, which lasted about an hour, when the Federal troops were compelled to fall back, leaving two guns in the hand of the enemy, besides sustaining a loss of about one thousand in killed and wounded. About three in the afternoon the enemy endeavored to press in between the corps of Warren and Hancock, but the latter by a rapid march succeeded in closing the dangerous gap which existed between the two corps, though he completed the movement only just in time. Lee was repeating his favorite movement of hurling his troops in masses upon what appeared to be the weakest part of his antagonist's lines. A contest of the May most terrific character ensued; the 5. massed troops of the enemy poured in a deadly hail of musketry. The second corps, however, held its ground for two hours, when reinforcements came up, and an advance of the whole Federal line was ordered. The fighting continued far into the night, and the battle closed without decisive results. The losses in killed and wounded were about equal. The Confederates had taken about a thousand prisoners and had lost three hundred. The troops lay on their arms on the field of battle. General Grant had, however, learnt that the force of General Lee was all before him, and had no longer any doubt as to the policy of calling up Burnside from the north side of the Rapidan. Early in the morning of Friday the 6th, fighting was resumed. Gen- May eral Sedgwick had been ordered to 6. attack at five in the morning, but the enemy, who had been strengthened by Longstreet's corps, were upon him fifteen minutes earlier. They repeated the tactics of the preceding day, in which they were favored by a more intimate knowledge of the ground, making repeated attacks with large masses of men, as did also Grant's troops upon the Confederates, and the lines of the two armies swayed hither and thither, with the shifting fortunes of the fight; if either army gained a little ground, it was soon lost again, or if, after a desperate struggle, an advance was made, it was only to come upon lines of intrenchments which trenchments in the edge of the woods; it would be rashness to attack. The the Federal troops lay along their last and most successful of these efforts hastily constructed line of rifle-pits, was made by the enemy just at night- while the intervening space was left to fall, upon the extreme right, where were the dead and wounded of both armies. posted the brigades of Generals Seymour During Thursday and Friday the cavalry and Shaler, which for several hours had of Generals Wilson and Gregg had held been comparatively at rest. Such was an important point known as Todd's the suddenness and impetuosity of the Tavern, at the intersection of the Brock attack, that notwithstanding all was done and Carparthin roads, and had rendered by General Seymour that could be ex- valuable service in preventing flanking pected of skill and daring, both brigades demonstrations on the part of the were swept off and made prisoners, enemy's cavalry. together with their officers. The whole right wing, and indeed the whole army, was for a little while in imminent peril. The enemy then retired without perceiving the advantage they had gained. A little perseverance with the same energy would have enabled them to cut off the Army of the Potomac from Germania Ford. The loss sustained by the right wing during this day was little short of six thousand, of which four thousand occurred in the last assault. The losses of the second corps came near three thousand. The total loss in the two days' fighting was about fifteen thousand. There was in these "wilderness" battles an unusual proportion of wounded, owing to the absence of artillery. Among the Federal officers killed were Generals Hays, Wadsworth, and Webb; among those of the Confederates, Generals Jones, Jenkins, and Pickett. Generals Longstreet, Pegram, and Hunter were severely wounded. The contest of this day, like that which had preceded it, was indecisive. The rebels passed the night within their formidable in At daybreak on Saturday the 7th, the fighting was recommenced on the May part of the Federals by a fire of 7. shot and shell from artillery planted the night before for the protection of the right wing, which had been drawn back and strengthened. The cannonade calling out no reply, skirmishers were thrown out and a general movement followed. About noon it became apparent that General Lee had abandoned his intrenchments at Mine Run, and was retreating toward Spottsylvania Court House and his second defensive line on the North Anna. Pursuit was at once ordered by General Grant. A cavalry engagement occurred about three in the afternoon at Todd's Tavern, in which each side sustained a loss of about two hundred and fifty men. General Lee retired in perfect order, and turned again and again on Saturday and Sunday when pressed by the Union forces. About this time Fredericksburg was occupied by Union troops, and a dépôt established there for supplies and for the reception of wounded men. action two hundred strong, came out with only twenty-three men unhurt. On Monday the 9th of May there was, in the early part of the day, com- Mayparative quiet, followed by can- 9. nonading and skirmishing, but no general battle. On this day General Sedgwick was killed by a rebel sharpshooter while superintending the mounting of artillery, and General Wright succeeded to the command of the sixth corps. Generals Burnside and Sedgwick the First Michigan, which went into moved on the old Chancellorsville road and arrived near Spottsylvania Court House about noon on Sunday; General Warren, after marching all night, arrived in the same vicinity, and about the same time the corps of General Ewell and a portion of that of Longstreet. A sharpMay ly contested action ensued here in 8. a field extending eastward from the Brock road toward the Spottsylvania and Fredericksburg road. The country was rolling, with here and there thick groves of cedar and pine. Shells were thrown at the advance of General Warren as it passed down the Brock road, but the enemy soon fell back. Their artillery was found posted at Alsop's Farm, a triangular clearing of about a hundred acres, beyond which was Ny Run, one of the four small head-streams of the Mattapony, but forming no obstacle to the passage of troops. The Union artil-. lery having been stationed to the right, so as to command that of the rebels, the infantry advanced through the clearing and came upon three lines of the enemy, the last of which was behind earth-works, and a fierce struggle took place, which continued some hours, and it was not till a brigade of the sixth corps came to his assistance that General Warren succeeded in driving the rebels from their position. The Federal loss was about thirteen hundred men, among whom was General Robinson, shot in the knee. Several brigades lost their commanders. The Fourth Michigan at the close of this engagement was commanded by a first lieutenant, and Major-General John Sedgwick was born in Connecticut about the year 1815, and graduated at West Point, the twentyfirst in a class of fifty, among whom were Hooker, Arnold, and French, and Bragg, Early, and Pemberton. He served in the Mexican war as first lieutenant, and was brevetted successively captain and major, for gallant conduct at Contreras, Churubusco, and Chepultepec. He also distinguished himself at the San Cosmo gate, in the capture of the city of Mexico. At the outbreak of the rebellion he was lieutenant-colonel of the Second United States Cavalry, became colonel of the Fourth Cavalry April 25th, 1861, and on the 31st of August was commissioned brigadiergeneral of volunteers, and received a brigade in the Army of the Potomac, which at the reorganization of the army was assigned to the second corps under General Summer, and General Sedgwick was placed in command of the third division of that corps. He took part in the siege of Yorktown, and in the pursuit up the peninsula, distinguished himself at the battle of Fair Oaks, took part |